Wall construction panels and methods for forming structures using wall construction panels

ABSTRACT

One embodiment of the present invention provides a wall construction panel, comprising: a pair of walls connected by a plurality of stringers that allow the walls to be opened from a folded flat configuration to a popped open configuration; wherein the folded flat configuration allows for compact shipping; wherein the popped open configuration allows the walls to be filled with one or more tilling materials to provide strength, mass and/or impact resistance to the panel.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to panel systems and structures,and more particularly to wall construction panels and methods forforming structures using wall construction panels.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

There exists a long-felt need for easily deployable, strong structuresto provide, e.g., deployable buildings, revetment walls, temporaryhousing, walk-in refrigerators, food storage buildings, and computerserver rooms.

The military, petrochemical industry, and other organizations have theneed for easy to deploy, force resistant and/or insulated buildings. Forexample, deployable structures are needed every year in response tonatural disasters such as earthquakes, tornados, floods, tsunamis,storms, and/or hurricanes occur in areas all over the world. Thesenatural disasters often cause millions of dollars in damage andtremendous loss of life. The first hours and days of a natural disasterare critical to relief workers when attempting to mitigate the damageand casualties of the natural disaster area. However, the relief workersoften have no place to stay due to the damage caused by the naturaldisaster to suitable shelters such as hotels, vacant apartments, orhouses. In addition the displaced native population will generallyutilize any vacancies in housing.

Because the building of even temporary housing is extremely timeconsuming and expensive and can require, for example, natural resourceswhich may not be readily available in the affected areas, the criticalfirst hours and days are wasted building housing for the relief workersrather than the displaced native population or are spent erectingtemporary shelters that typically do not provide a long term solutionfor the displaced native population.

In the meantime, the critical first hours and days are not usedefficiently since a limited amount of relief workers will be present,and furthermore, energy is wasted building housing for the limitedamount of relief workers. This can lead to a high amount of damages andcasualties.

Temporary solutions such as tents are generally unsatisfactory sincethey may not provide adequate shelter against extreme temperatures atnight or the day. In addition, such temporary solutions are generallyuncomfortable, which can fatigue and tax the rescue workers. This canreduce the efficiency of the rescue workers.

More permanent shelters are typically expensive both in terms of thepurchase price and to transport to the location of the natural disaster.Thus, there is a need for a building which can be easily erected in anefficient manner while providing a comfortable and adequate shelter.

As another example, it is typical to construct walk-inrefrigerators/freezers from panels of insulation, often urethane foam orfiberglass, covered in sheet metal. These panels are made in aproduction line and then linked together at the final site using acam-lock system that compresses linear gaskets to create a connectionand a seal at the seams. The cam-lock system is typically a hook thatswings outward to engage a receiving pin on the adjacent panel. Thesecam-locks are expensive and complicated to install. They also requireholes drilled into each cam-lock site in order to insert a tool toactivate the locking action.

Constructing the insulated panels requires building a frame covered insheet metal. The frame is often made of high-density urethane foam,metal, or wood. The sheet metal is then attached to both sides of theframe, as a canvas stretched over a frame, to yield an enclosed panel.This panel is retained in a large press, and liquid urethane foam isinjected through a small opening. The foam then expands to fill thevoid. The foam's pressure is counteracted by the press. Once the foamcures, the finished panel is removed from the press. Making custom panelsizes requires that the frame and sheet metal panels be cut to desiredsizes and then assembled. The foam also must be metered to ensure boththat the panel is filled, and that not too much foam is wasted byoverfilling.

The conventional method has a number of disadvantages. Almost all largerefrigeration panels are constructed the same way. A frame with a tongueor groove exterior is fabricated using wood or high-density urethanefoam. Both faces of the open frame are skinned in sheet metal. Thisassembly forms the exterior of the completed structurally insulatedpanel. The empty, metal-skinned frame is retained in a press andexpanding urethane foam is injected. Once expanded, the panel s readyfor assembly.

Attaching the panels together is accomplished with a cam and receiverpin system. Prior to skinning with sheet metal, cams are installed onone frame edge and the receiving panel edge has a receiving pininstalled. An approximately ½″ hole is drilled through the sheet metalto allow the engagement of a tool used to rotate the cam device. Similarto turning the handle on a common sliding door latch, this swings a hookout to grab and engage the receiving pin on the opposing panel. As thepanels are pulled snuggly together by the cams, rubber gaskets are usedto effectuate a seal between the metal exteriors of the joined panels.This system is expensive, does not create a seamless connection, andrequires drilling holes in the exterior finish. It also creates an areaof reduced insulation, as the frame is a poor insulator. In addition, itcreates an air-filled void in which the metal skins conduct heat.Further, the seams are a sanitation concern as they create a crevice forbacterial and fungal growth. An average-sized walk-in refrigerator oftenrequired the installation of hundreds of these cam devices and thus halfas many access holes bored through the exterior sheet metal skins. Onlyhalf as many holes are drilled because one hole per set of cams isrequired (a set is a cam device and its receiving pin on the opposingpanel). These holes are required to be capped and sealed per healthdepartment standards.

Prior art construction systems and methods for walk-in refrigeratorsrequire expensive, custom fabrication of frames. The cam and receiverconnectors require significant labor, lower the insulation efficiency,and require boring holes in the exterior of the panels. Further, sheetmetal dents easily. Colors require the application of an exterior paintthat can scratch and flake. Such systems use metal, which is a poorinsulator and makes the completed system heavy, and thus expensive toship and difficult to assemble. Additionally, none of the prior artprovides for improved insulation by eliminating the air gap betweenjoined panels. All joining systems require metal or other poor insulatormaterials that come in contact with the inner and outer walls. The priorart also fails to provide for a seam fused or welded to eliminatecrevices for bacteria or fungal growth. Moreover, conventional systemsand methods do not use polymeric sheet stock for the exterior walls ofthe panel. Furthermore, conventional systems and methods do not usefilament or cable for connecting panels.

In view of the above, there is a significant need for easily deployable,well-insulated structures to provide storage for items that requiretemperature control such as walk-in refrigerators, food storagebuildings, computer server rooms, equipment rooms, freezers, etc.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide wall construction panelsand methods for forming structures using wall construction panels. Thewall construction panels having outer walls that are attached parallelto each other using hinged connectors. These connectors may be referredto herein as “stringers.” The purpose of the stringers is to allow thepanels to fold flat for shipping, thus providing a massive say n s intransportation costs.

One particular embodiment provides a wall construction panel,comprising: a pair of walls connected by a plurality of stringers thatallow the walls to be opened from a folded flat configuration to apopped open configuration; wherein the folded flat configuration allowsfor compact shipping; wherein the popped open configuration allows thewalls to be filled with one or more filling materials to providestrength, mass and/or impact resistance to the panel. In someembodiments, the articulating stringers are high strength stringers thathingedly connected at each end to a wall to permit the panel to be movedbetween the popped open configuration and the folded flat configuration.The stringers are disposed substantially parallel to the walls in thefolded flat configuration, and disposed substantially perpendicular tothe walls in the popped open configuration.

In one implementation, each stringer comprises a first looped end forconnection to a first wire that is threaded through the first looped endwithin one wall, and a second looped end for connection to a second wirethat is threaded through the second looped end within the other wall. Aslot is provided in each wall for each looped end to provide space forthe stringers to articulate between the popped open configuration andthe folded flat configuration. The stringers may comprise a rigidmaterial selected from the group consisting of wire, metal, plastic, andcombinations thereof. The panel walls may comprise lightweight,inexpensive, stiff, plastic, planar surfaces. In some cases, the wallsare perforated with holes to allow a filling material to migrate intothe holes, thus providing a physical bond between the walls and fillingmaterial.

In various embodiments, the filling material may comprises earth,rubble, cement, sand, foam, and other suitable materials. In some cases,the foam is provided in a poly-bag pouch that features a separationmeans for separating two or more ingredients, wherein the separationmeans is breached in order to mix the ingredients.

Another embodiment of the invention is directed toward a method ofconnecting modular wall connection panels, each panel comprising a pairof walls connected by a plurality of articulating stringers that allowthe walls to be opened from a folded flat configuration to a popped openconfiguration, wherein the folded flat configuration allows for compactshipping, wherein the popped open configuration allows the walls to befilled with one or more filling materials to provide strength, massand/or impact resistance to the panel, the method comprising the step ofconnecting a first modular wall connection panel with a second modularwall connection panel.

In the above method, the step of connecting the first panel with thesecond panel comprises zipping the panels together using a slidingmotion, thereby locking the panels together without the use of glue,pins, screws, or any other hardware. Additionally, each panel wallcomprises an outside surface and an inside surface separated by spacers,and wherein some of the spacers are slotted to allow the first panel toslide in an overlapping manner with respect to the second panel. In someembodiments, the method further comprises the step of attaching theconnected wall panels to an existing structure via anchoring meansselected from the group consisting of cables, straps and high tensilestrength anchors. Alternatively, the method may further comprise thestep of attaching the connected wall panels to the ground using groundanchors selected from the group consisting of screw-in devices andspikes. In embodiments wherein the filling material comprises a foam,the method may further comprise providing a U-shaped tray under thebottom panel that forms a reservoir for the liquid foam, and seals thebottom of the wall upon hardening.

Other features and aspects of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, which illustrate. by way of example, the featuresin accordance with embodiments of the invention. The summary is notintended to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined solely bythe claims attached hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention, in accordance with one or more variousembodiments, is described in detail with reference to the followingfigures. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only andmerely depict typical or example embodiments of the invention. Thesedrawings are provided to facilitate the reader's understanding of theinvention and shall not he considered limiting of the breadth, scope, orapplicability of the invention, It should be noted that for clarity andease of illustration these drawings are not necessarily made to scale.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views illustrating a wall constructionpanel in a folded flat configuration and a popped up configuration,respectively, in accordance with the principles of the invention.

FIGS. 2A-2E are perspective views illustrating a system and method ofconnecting a pair of wall connection panels in accordance with theprinciples of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a multiple wall compositepanel comprising three walls in accordance with the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating various wall composite panels,each panel having a different types of filling material or combinationsof filling materials, in accordance with the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating alternative stringers forconnecting walls in accordance with the principles of the invention.

The figures are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the inventionto the precise form disclosed. It should be understood that theinvention can be practiced with modification and alteration, and thatthe invention be limited only by the claims an the equivalents thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward a revolutionary wallconstruction system eluding a plurality of panels having outer wallsthat are attached parallel to each other using stringers to allow thepanels to fold flat for shipping, thus providing a large savings intransportation costs.

The wall construction technology of the invention has many applications,including without limitation: walk-in coolers, emergency housing, blastresistant buildings for the military. Using this technology, buildingscan be erected onsite in a matter of hours without the use of powertools. Composites have been used for years to make strong, light highperformance parts but it has been considered impracticable to constructlarge items, such as buildings, from composites. However, the wallconstruction system set forth herein is highly insulated, strong, anddesigned for the US State Department as protection against terroristattacks.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a wall construction panel 100 for use on awall construction system, in accordance with the principles of theinvention, will now be described. Particularly, the wall constructionpanel 100 includes a pair of walls 110, 120 that are connected by aplurality of stringers 130, which allow the walls 110, 120 to be flippedopened from a folded flat configuration (as depicted in FIG. 1) to apopped open configuration (as depicted in FIG. 1). In the openconfiguration, the gap between these planar walls 110, 120 is filledwith foam, sand, cement, earth, rubble, or other filling materials andcombinations thereof, that provide strength and structural rigidity tothe structure. On the other hand, the flat configuration allows forcompact shipping. As set forth herein, the wall construction panel 100has manifold applications such as emergency housing, blast resistantbuildings and coolers.

In one embodiment, the wall construction panel 100 features highstrength articulating stringers 130 hingedly connected at each end to awall to permit the panel to be moved between the popped openconfiguration and the folded flat configuration. Specifically, thestringers 130 are substantially parallel to the walls 110, 120 in theflat configuration, and rotated such that they are substantiallyperpendicular to the walls 110, 120 in the popped open configuration. Assuch, the wall construction panel 100 can be shipped in the flatconfiguration and popped open the construction site. Each end 150 ofstringer 130 is looped for connection to a wire 160 that is threadedthrough the looped end 150 within the wall 110, 120. In addition, a slot170 is provided in each wall 110, 120 for each looped end 150 to providespace for the stringer 130 to articulate between configurations. In someembodiments, the stringers 130 comprise a rigid material such as wire,metal, plastic, or a composite.

In one embodiment, the wall construction panel 100 in the folded flatconfiguration is less than 1″ thick, and pops open to form apredetermined wall thickness. By way of example, this predetermined wallthickness may be 3″ thick, 4″ thick, 5″ thick, etc., depending up theapplication. In some embodiments, each wall 110, 120 is 1-c-thicktwin-wall plastic; however, other suitable materials may be employed.The plastic walls 110, 120 are Class 1 fire retardant, strong andductile, and form a smooth, strong exterior finish. As such, the wallconstruction panel 100 includes stiffer planar surfaces with less weightand cost. In certain embodiments of the invention, the inner surface ofthe twin-wall panel may be perforated to allow for foam (or otherfilling material) to migrate into the holes, thus providing a physicalbond between the walls and filling material. In further embodiments, theouter surface of the walls may be clad with a material such as hardenedsteel, aluminum, or other suitable material. This cladding may beattached using an adhesive, rivets, screws or other means.

It has been determined that certain filling materials are more usefulfor particular applications. For example, foam may be preferred forapplications that require structure and insulation. In addition, cementmay be selected as the filling material for applications that requirestrength and mass. Other applications that require blast and forceresistance may use sand, rubble and/or earth as the filling material.This type of filling material is typically cheap and locally available.

FIGS. 2A-2E illustrate a system and method of connecting a pair of wallconnection panels 100, 200 in accordance with the principles of theinvention. In particular, any number of panels 100, 200 may be zippedtogether using a sliding motion to form larger structures. Accordingly,this locking system may be employed to connect any number of modularpanels 100, 200 without the need for glue, pins, screws, or anyhardware.

Referring now to FIG. 2A, two modular panels 100, 200 are depicted intheir popped open configuration prior to being connected together. Arrow215 represents the direction that panel 100 is moved with respect topanel 200 in order to connect or zip the panels 100, 200 together.Specifically, each panel wall 110, 120 of panel 100 comprises an outsidesurface 125 and an inside surface 135 that are separated by spacers 145,whereas each panel wall 210, 220 of panel 200 comprises an outsidesurface 225 and an inside surface 235 that are separated by spacers 245.The panels 100, 200 are slid or zipped together such that the inner andouter surfaces 125, 135 of panel 100 fit together with the inner andouter surfaces 225, 235 of panel 200 in an overlapping manner. In theillustrated embodiment, the bottom spacers 145A, 145B of panel wall 100and the top spacers 245A, 245B of panel wall 200 are slotted in order toallow sliding movement of wall surface 135 within panel wall 200 andsliding movement of wall surface 225 within panel wall 100.

FIG. 2B depicts panel 100 being zipped together with panel 200, whileFIG. 2C depicts the panels 100, 200 after they have been zippedtogether. Once the panels have been connected, the overlapping slottedspacers 145A, 145B, 245A, 245B prevent the panels 100, 200 from beingpulled apart unless they are slid apart in the direction of arrow 215(or the opposite direction). FIG. 2D is an enlarged view showing detailsof the interconnections between panels 100, 200. As illustrated in FIG.2D, certain spacers 145A, 145B, 245A, 245B are slotted to facilitate theconnection of adjacent panels 100, 200 when they are zipped together.Particularly, the slotted spacers 145A. 145B, 245A, 245B allow thepanels 100, 200 to be slidably connected such that the panel wallsurfaces 125, 225, 135, 235 overlap with surface 125 comprising theoutermost surface and surface 235 comprising the innermost surface.After the walls 100, 200 are connected together, the overlapping spacers145A, 245A, 1458, 245B (in order from top to bottom) also act as alocking mechanism to prevent separation unless a panel is pulled in thedirection of arrow 215 (or the opposite direction). FIG. 2E is anenlarged view of a spacer 145, including loops 150 on each end forreceiving the wire 160 within a panel wall.

FIG. 3 illustrates a multiple wall composite panel 300 comprising threewalls 310, 320, 330 that are connected by a plurality of stringers 330,which allow the walls 310, 320, 330 to be flipped opened from a foldedflat configuration (not shown) to a popped open configuration asdepicted. In the open configuration, these planar walls 310, 320, 330are filled with foam, sand, cement, earth, rubble or other fillingmaterials and combinations thereof, that provide strength and structuralrigidity to the structure. In other embodiments, a composite panel maybe formed by attaching a pair of wall panels 100, 200 side-by-side, forexample using an adhesive, screws, or other known fastening means.Additional embodiments may include a multiple wall panels featuringthree or more panels. All of the multiple wall configurations allows forthe production of a composite wall panel 300 having two or more fillingmaterials.

Once at the job site, the panels 100, 200 are flipped open and connectedsuch that they are ready to be filled using a suitable filling materialsuch as foam, sand, earth, etc. Referring to FIG. 4, various panels 400,410, 420, 440 are depicted to illustrate several types of fillingmaterials and combinations of filling materials. In particular, panel400 is filled with a proprietary expandable rigid foam (i.e., urethane)to yield a once-piece composite (SIP) building that is strong andinsulated. In some embodiments, the foam may be provided in a foam bagsuch as a poly-bag pouch for easy preparation. The foam bag may featurea separation means for separating two or more ingredients, wherein theseparation means is ruptured or otherwise breached in order to mix theingredients. A user may simply breach the separation means shake thefoam poly-bag pouches for about 20 seconds, and pour into a wall panel.

With further reference to FIG. 4, wall panel 410 is filled with alocally available organic material, such as hay or grass, to provide alow cost, insulated wall. In another embodiment, composite wall panel420 comprises a first panel 425 filled with urethane foam to providestrength and insulation and a second panel 430 filled with sand toprovided a high-mass blast, ballistic, or collision wall. In a furtherembodiment, panel 440 is filled with a Kevlar blanket for ballisticresistance as well as foam to provide additional strength andinsulation. Other filling material options may include withoutlimitation, (i) concrete for a reinforced concrete wall system, (ii)rubble or recyclable trash for inexpensive emergency relief, (iii) rigidballistic panels or insert panels, and (iv) any other suitable materialthat provides strength, insulation, blast resistance, and/or mass. Aswould be appreciated by those of skill in the art, any combination ofwall panels and filling materials may be employed in response to siteconditions without departing from the scope of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating alternative stringers 530, 535for connecting walls (sheet stock 540) in accordance with the principlesof the invention. For sheet stock 540 that is not twin-wall orcorrugated, the stringers 530, 535 can be attached with any suitablemeans for connection including, but not limited to, u-nails, u-bolts, orwire loops. In the illustrated embodiment, stringer 530 having loopedends 550 is attached to sheet stock 540 via a single attachment u-nail555, whereas t-shaped stringer 535 having linear ends 560 is attached tosheet stock 540 via a pair of u-nails 555. In various embodiments, thesheet stock 540 might be wood, cementous board, fiber reinforced board,plastic, composite or other suitable materials. The stringers 530, 535can be rigid materials including without limitation, metal, plastic,cord, wire, or string or composites.

According to further embodiments of the invention, a wall constructionpanel may be formed from two or more walls that are connected togetherwithout the use of mechanical connectors. Instead, the walls feature adeep surface profile (i.e., texture on the inner surface) or areperforated with holes to allow the filling material to form a physicalbond with the walls. More particularly, the filling material forms aphysical bond with the rough wall surfaces or holes such that the panelscan be made in a press without stringers or other mechanical connectorsto hold the walls together. Similar to previous embodiments, the wallsare filled with one or more filling materials to provide strength, massand/or impact resistance to the panel.

As set forth herein, composites have been used for years to make strong,light high performance parts. However, it has long been consideredimpracticable to construct large items (such as buildings) fromcomposites. Various embodiments of the present invention change theparadigm by providing systems and methods for producing compositestructures such as buildings and walk-in freezers that: (i) are easy tobuild without the need for power tools; (ii) are force resistant and usealmost no fragment-able materials; (iii) are highly insulated with anR-25 rating for a 4″ wall thickness; (iv) are transportable with ashipping volume approximately ⅛th that of typical buildings/walls; (v)have a Class 1 fire resistance rating; (vi) provide 24,000 pounds oftensioned anchoring for extraordinary wind and blast resistance; and/or(vii) provide flexible technology that can be used for everything fromblast shelters to emergency housing. Additionally, the total cost ofownership is a fraction of almost any other building method.

Testing was performed using a foam-filled panel having the followingdimensions: 96×20″ and 4″ thick. Deflection strength was measured atover 56 times panel weight for an 8 foot span. Moreover, at 19.6 pounds,this panel resisted loading of 1,100 pounds without panel failure.Testing also revealed a deflection of 8.25″ with full recovery whenunloaded.

In some embodiments of the invention featuring the use of a foam, a trayor a “U” shaped stud (e.g., made of steel) may be employed to form thebottom of the wall. The tray slides into the notches in the twin-wallsheets, thus forming a reservoir for the liquid foam. Upon hardening,the foam seals the bottom of the wall, and mitigates leakage.

According to various embodiments of the invention, a structure formedusing the systems and methods described herein may be attached to anexisting structure (e.g., a roof) by use of any suitable form ofanchoring means. By way of non-limiting example, the anchoring means maycomprise strapping of cable, straps, or high tensile strength material.In addition, other embodiments may feature a structure that is attachedto the ground using ground anchors. For example, such ground anchors mayinclude without limitation, screw-in devices and/or spikes.

Although the invention is described above in terms of various exemplaryembodiments and implementations, it should be understood that thevarious features, aspects and functionality described in one or more ofthe individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to theparticular embodiment with which they are described, but instead can beapplied, alone or in various combinations, to one or more of the otherembodiments of the invention, whether or not such embodiments aredescribed and whether or not such features are presented as being a partof a described embodiment. Thus, the breadth and scope of the presentinvention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplaryembodiments.

Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unlessotherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposedto limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” shouldbe read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like; the term“example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item indiscussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; the terms “a” or“an” should be read as meaning “at least one,” “one or more” or thelike; and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,”“standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construedas limiting the item described to a given time period or to an itemavailable as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompassconventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may beavailable or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, wherethis document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known toone of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass thoseapparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in thefuture.

The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “atleast,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instancesshall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or requiredin instances where such broadening phrases may be absent. Additionally,the various embodiments set forth herein are described in terms ofexemplary block diagrams, flow charts and other illustrations. As willbecome apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading thisdocument, the illustrated embodiments and their various alternatives canbe implemented without confinement to the illustrated examples. Theseillustrations and their accompanying description should not be construedas mandating a particular architecture or configuration.

1. A wall construction panel, comprising: a pair of walls connected by aplurality of articulating stringers that allow the walls to be openedfrom a folded flat configuration to a popped open configuration; whereinthe folded flat configuration allows for compact shipping; wherein thepopped open configuration allows the walls to be filled with one or morefilling materials to provide strength, mass and/or impact resistance tothe wall construction panel; wherein the wall construction panel iszipped together with a further wall construction panel using a slidingmotion, thereby locking the wall construction panel and the further wallconstruction panel without using glue, pins, screws, or any otherhardware; wherein each of the walls comprises an outside surface and aninside surface separated by a plurality of spacers; and wherein some ofthe plurality of spacers are slotted to allow the wall constructionpanel to slide in an overlapping manner with respect to the further wallconstruction panel.
 2. The wall construction panel of claim 1, whereinthe articulating stringers are high strength stringers that are hingedlyconnected at each end to one of the walls to permit the wallconstruction panel to be moved between the popped open configuration andthe folded flat configuration.
 3. The wall construction panel of claim2, wherein the stringers are disposed substantially parallel to thewalls in the folded flat configuration, and disposed substantiallyperpendicular to the walls in the popped open configuration.
 4. The wallconstruction panel of claim 2, wherein each stringer comprises a firstlooped end for connection to a first wire that is threaded through thefirst looped end within one wall, and a second looped end for connectionto a second wire that is threaded through the second looped end withinthe other wall.
 5. The wall construction panel of claim 4, wherein aslot is provided in each wall for each looped end to provide space forthe stringers to articulate between the popped open configuration andthe folded flat configuration.
 6. The wall construction panel of claim4, wherein the stringers comprise a rigid material selected from thegroup consisting of wire, metal, plastic, and combinations thereof. 7.The wall construction panel of claim 1, wherein the walls compriselightweight, inexpensive, stiff, plastic, planar surfaces.
 8. The wallconstruction panel of claim 1, wherein the walls comprise twin walls orcorrugated sheet stock.
 9. The wall construction panel of claim 1,wherein the walls are perforated with holes to allow a filling materialto migrate into the holes, thus providing a physical bond between thewalls and filling material.
 10. The wall construction panel of claim 1,wherein a filling material comprises earth or rubble.
 11. The wallconstruction panel of claim 1, wherein a filling material comprisescement.
 12. The wall construction panel of claim 1, wherein a fillingmaterial comprises sand.
 13. The wall construction panel of claim 1,wherein a filling material comprises a foam.
 14. The wall constructionpanel of claim 13, wherein the foam is provided in a poly-bag pouch thatfeatures a separation means for separating two or more ingredients,wherein the separation means is breached in order to mix theingredients.
 15. The wall construction panel of claim 1, wherein theoutside surface of the walls includes a hardened steel cladding.
 16. Amethod of connecting modular wall connection panels, each panelcomprising a pair of walls connected by a plurality of articulatingstringers that allow the walls to be opened from a folded flatconfiguration to a popped open configuration, wherein the folded flatconfiguration allows for compact shipping, wherein the popped openconfiguration allows the walls to be filled with one or more fillingmaterials to provide strength, mass and/or impact resistance to thepanel, the method comprising: connecting a first modular wall connectionpanel with a second modular wall connection panel.
 17. The method ofclaim 16, wherein connecting the first panel with the second panelcomprises zipping the panels together using a sliding motion, therebylocking the panels together without the use of glue, pins, screws, orany other hardware.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein each panel wallcomprises an outside surface and an inside surface separated by spacers,and wherein some of the spacers are slotted to allow the first panel toslide in an overlapping manner with respect to the second panel.
 19. Themethod of claim 16, further comprising the step of attaching theconnected wall panels to an existing structure or the ground viaanchoring means selected from the group consisting of cables, straps andhigh tensile strength anchors.
 20. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising the step of attaching the connected wall panels to the groundusing ground anchors selected from the group consisting of screw-indevices and spikes.
 21. The method of claim 16, wherein the first panelcomprises the top panel and the second panel comprises the bottompanels, and wherein the filling material comprises a foam.
 22. Themethod of claim 21, further comprising providing a U-shaped tray underthe bottom panel that forms a reservoir for the liquid foam, and sealsthe bottom of the wall upon hardening.
 23. A multiple wall constructionpanel, comprising: a plurality of walls including at least first, secondand third walls, wherein the first and second walls are connected by aplurality of articulating stringers that allow the walls to be openedfrom a folded flat configuration to a popped open configuration, andwherein the second and third walls are connected by a plurality ofarticulating stringers that allow the walls to be opened from a foldedflat configuration to a popped open configuration; wherein the foldedflat configuration allows for compact shipping; wherein the popped openconfiguration allows the walls to be filled with one or more fillingmaterials to provide strength, mass and/or impact resistance to thepanel.
 24. A wall construction panel, comprising: a pair of wallsconnected together without the use of mechanical connectors; wherein thewalls are filled with one or more filling materials to provide strength,mass and/or impact resistance to the panel; wherein the walls include adeep surface profile or are perforated with holes to allow the fillingmaterial to form a physical bond with the walls.